assembled in arms, elected his brother Agamemnon, king of
Mycenae, leader of the expedition, and sailed across the AEgean
in nearly 1200 ships to recover the faithless fair one. Several
of the confederate heroes excelled Agamemnon in fame. Among them
Achilles, chief of the Thessalian Myrmidons, stood pre-eminent in
strength, beauty, and valour; whilst Ulysses, king of Ithaca;
surpassed all the rest in the mental qualities of counsel and
eloquence. Among the Trojans, Hector, one of the sons of Priam,
was most distinguished for heroic qualities and formed a striking
contrast to his handsome but effeminate brother Paris. Next to
Hector in valour stood AEneas, son of Anchises and Aphrodite
(Venus). Even the gods took part in the contest, encouraging
their favourite heroes, and sometimes fighting by their side or
in their stead.

It was not till the tenth year of the war that Troy yielded to
the inevitable decree of fate; and it is this year which forms
the subject of the Iliad. Achilles, offended by Agamemnon,
abstains from the war; and in his absence the Greeks are no match
for Hector. The Trojans drive them back into their camp, and are
already setting fire to their ships, when Achilles gives his
armour to his friend Patroclus, and allows him to charge at the
head of the Myrmidons. Patroclus repulses the Trojans from the
ships, but the god Apollo is against him, and he falls under the
spear of Hector. Desire to avenge the death of his friend proves
more powerful in the breast of Achilles than anger against
Agamemnon. He appears again in the field in new and gorgeous
armour, forged for him by the god Hephrastus (Vulcan) at the
prayer of Thetis. The Trojans fly before him, and, although
Achilles is aware that his own death must speedily follow that of